Thermodynamic Simulation and Prototype Testing of a Four-Stroke Free-Piston Engine

School of Mechanical Engineering,Nanjing University of Science and Technology,Xuanwu District,Nanjing 210094, Chinae-mail: jiming.lin@hotmail.com

Zhaoping Xu

School of Mechanical Engineering,Nanjing University of Science and Technology,Xuanwu District,Nanjing 210094, Chinae-mail: xuzp@njust.edu.cn

Siqin Chang

School of Mechanical Engineering,Nanjing University of Science and Technology,Xuanwu District,Nanjing 210094, Chinae-mail: changsiqin@hotmail.com

Ningxia Yin

School of Mechanical Engineering,Nanjing University of Science and Technology,Xuanwu District,Nanjing 210094, Chinae-mail: yinningxia2002@hotmail.com

Hao Yan

School of Mechanical Engineering,Nanjing University of Science and Technology,Xuanwu District,Nanjing 210094, Chinae-mail: 175380552@qq.com

Contributed by the Combustion and Fuels Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER. Manuscript received July 19, 2013; final manuscript received December 7, 2013; published online January 9, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Song-Charng Kong.

In order to achieve higher-energy conversion efficiency, a free-piston engine with an improved four-stroke thermodynamic cycle is investigated in this paper. This cycle is optimized according to the variable strokes feature and is characterized by the short intake stroke, the complete expansion stroke, the external pressurization, and the intercooling. The development of a four-stroke free-piston engine system simulation model was described, and the effects of the cycle on the system performances were qualitatively analyzed. According to the experiment of the prototype, the generating efficiency of 33.4% can be achieved when the system is fueled with gasoline and the output power is significantly increased from 1.62 to 2.68 kW. The simulation and experiment results are analyzed in detail, giving insight into the performances of the system. Studies show that the energy-saving and environmental protection performances of the system can be significantly promoted by using the improved thermodynamic cycle.

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